Arizona State associate dean to lead new Honors College

June 6, 2013

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Rhonda Phillips, associate dean of
Barrett, The Honors College of Arizona State University, will be the dean of
Purdue University's new Honors College.

"Dean Phillips will provide the leadership that will
help the new college move forward, focusing on academic excellence and
attracting high-achieving students," said Timothy Sands, executive vice
president for academic affairs and provost. "She has the passion and
vision that makes her well-suited to carry out our goal of providing a
challenging and rewarding experience for Purdue's top students."

Phillips, who has been in her current position since 2011,
also is a professor in the School of Community Resources and Development at
Arizona State. She holds appointments as senior sustainability scientist in
Arizona State's Global Institute of Sustainability/School of Sustainability,
and affiliate faculty in the School of Geographical Sciences, Urban Planning
and the School of Public Affairs.

Prior to going to Arizona State in 2007, she was an
assistant and associate professor in the Urban and Regional Planning Department
at the University of Florida, where she also was the founding director of the
Center for Building Better Communities. Before that, she served as an assistant
professor in the Department of Geography and Area Development at the University
of Southern Mississippi.

Phillips' appointment as dean is the result of a national
search. She will begin at Purdue before the fall semester. Her appointment is
subject to ratification by Purdue's Board of Trustees.

"It is with tremendous pride and enthusiasm that I
take on the leadership of the Honors College," Phillips said. "This
is an exciting opportunity to continue to build an environment that enhances
the success of the college's outstanding students."

The Honors College, approved by the trustees in 2011, will
welcome its first class of more than 500 new students this fall. The college
will recruit prospective honors students and provide them with residential
learning experiences, exposure to cross-disciplinary problem solving and
support in pursuit of post-graduate opportunities.

"The pool of finalists was an exceptional group of
candidates, and we appreciate everyone who was involved in the process,"
said Mark J.T. Smith, dean of the Graduate School and search advisory committee
chair. "Dean Phillips will be a great leader and advocate for Purdue's
Honor College."

Dennis Savaiano, professor of nutrition science who is
interim dean of the Honors College and headed a task force on its formation,
will remain at Purdue.

"Dr. Savaiano provided strong and steady leadership
during the formation of the Honors College," Sands said. "We are
grateful for his hard work and service in this endeavor over the past three
years."

Savaiano was dean of consumer and family sciences from
1995-2010. He has studied lactose intolerance for more than 25 years,
identifying dietary factors that can promote adequate calcium intake for the 25
percent of the U.S. population and 75 percent of the world's population that
suffer from the problem.

"Dean Savaiano will spend the next year studying
nutrition and food policy, with the aim of developing a center that integrates
disciplinary perspectives to inform policymakers on scientifically sound
approaches to solving global nutrition problems including obesity and
under-nutrition," Sands said.